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It was my understanding that a team had a single "designated player" that it could offer a 5th year to. But it also appears that teams have been able to sign multiple players for a 5th year (Love/TT). Once and for all, what are the limitations of offering 5 year deals to Bird FAs (who are the only ones that can get them I believe).

TIA.

The limit only pertains to rookie scale extension deals, which are limited to 4 years except you can have 1 on your team given 5.

But for a veteran free agent, not coming off rookie scale and with full Bird rights, you can get all the 5 year deals you can stomach. IOW limit is no more than 15 to a roster.

DBoys wrote:The limit only pertains to rookie scale extension deals, which are limited to 4 years except you can have 1 on your team given 5.

But for a veteran free agent, not coming off rookie scale and with full Bird rights, you can get all the 5 year deals you can stomach. IOW limit is no more than 15 to a roster.

Thats actually what I was thinking but then Cle gave Kyrie a 5 year deal last offseason and have reportedly with to terms with TT for 5/80M. Both coming off rookie deals.

But "coming off" a deal is not extending it. The players you are mentioning are free agents, and the rule is for extensions only. Free agents are out of contract. You can't extend a contract that has expired. That's an new contract.

So its only for signing the player BEFORE the last year of his deal (i.e. means absolutely nothing because the next guy will just make a back room deal and get promised the 5 year extension)?

HurricaneKid wrote:So its only for signing the player BEFORE the last year of his deal (i.e. means absolutely nothing because the next guy will just make a back room deal and get promised the 5 year extension)?

Hopefully not, because the NBA has punished some back room deals, as you call them, pretty severely in the past.

But basically, the teams can pick the guy they feel most sure about, and then take care of the other guy later if he proves worthy.

No, it doesn't take any "back room deal" or extreme machinations. The team just waits until the summer after year 4 and signs the player to a 5 yr deal, as a RFA. Given the RFA control over the outcome, and the opportunity for having another year of observation before deciding, it makes more sense anyhow.

See Leonard, K.; Butler, J.; Bledsoe, E.; Etc.

Anyone here practice sports law? I'm looking to get into the field.

HurricaneKid wrote:So its only for signing the player BEFORE the last year of his deal (i.e. means absolutely nothing because the next guy will just make a back room deal and get promised the 5 year extension)?

The reason being that Tristan will only be under contract for 5 years, whereas Kyrie's 5 year extension actually put him under contract for 6 years.